Strategic Planning

Are Given's et al planning for SLN commerce raiding ?
How far down the contingency list(s) is it ?

TangoLima wrote:Are Given's et al planning for SLN commerce raiding ?
How far down the contingency list(s) is it ?

You could put Operation Laocoon I and II under the heading of commerce raiding. But I know what you want to know, and I think that active operations against Sollie merchants are way down the list. Even regarding the availability of the RHN, you need such a big number of cruisers and destroyers for that ... I doubt, Manticore, Grayson and Haven can afford to send them on active raiding operations - not in light of all the other responsibilities they have to cover.

What they could do (and I think, they would have success in doing it - for a time at least, regarding the time it needs for news to get through the league): they could capture any sollie merchant who wants to transit though a junction or a terminus recently reclaimed by the RMN ...

Eagleeye wrote:

TangoLima wrote:Are Given's et al planning for SLN commerce raiding ?
How far down the contingency list(s) is it ?

You could put Operation Laocoon I and II under the heading of commerce raiding. But I know what you want to know, and I think that active operations against Sollie merchants are way down the list. Even regarding the availability of the RHN, you need such a big number of cruisers and destroyers for that ... I doubt, Manticore, Grayson and Haven can afford to send them on active raiding operations - not in light of all the other responsibilities they have to cover.

What they could do (and I think, they would have success in doing it - for a time at least, regarding the time it needs for news to get through the league): they could capture any sollie merchant who wants to transit though a junction or a terminus recently reclaimed by the RMN ...

2) No, GA does not want to spread pain beyond BF, FF, and Manpower, Jessyk Combine, etc. They will still go after anything that looks like a slaver, but commerce raiding is not on the RMN initiative list. They will go after any SLN ship they find anywhere as a legitimate target including colliers, fast transports,troop ships, etc. but not commercial vessels. Goes against their make friends strategy.

1) Not sure how she can read her tea leaves and come up with "Hey, better get prepared for BF hitting non-aligned planets 'pour discourager des autres.'" Not even sure ONI has the resources in the league to spot and report ship movements. Especially re Lacoon 1 which basically pulled her eyes and ears out of the SL.

Again, wouldn't the raiding of League commerce compromise the fragile rice paper on which the Harrington Doctrine is written?

cthia wrote:Again, wouldn't the raiding of League commerce compromise the fragile rice paper on which the Harrington Doctrine is written?

Let us recall that a huge hunk of commerce was done in Manticore ships. Those will not be present.

A better strategic target would be the orbital systems of some of the richer planets. Even better, of platforms where ships are being built.

On top of that, some really rich planets are major players in the League. Destroy their orbital stations which will beggar them. The very threat of that will get others to put pressure on the mandarins.

Remember that the last book only covers ten months. SOMETHING will change in that time. The logical thing to change will be the mindset of people...key people.

TangoLima wrote:Are Given's et al planning for SLN commerce raiding ?
How far down the contingency list(s) is it ?

I believe that commerce raiding was part of the Lacoon II OP.

cthia wrote:Again, wouldn't the raiding of League commerce compromise the fragile rice paper on which the Harrington Doctrine is written?

Not necessarily. I can't imagine the GA being forced into openly destructive commerce raiding - with all the military advantages they have, capturing the vast majority of shipping is far more likely.

That means the ships(and cargoes) shouldn't be destroyed and their crews won't be killed. Interstellar shipping will be severely disrupted, but could be completely back on track in a few years.

In the context of what's happened to various bits of the Solarian League Navy, that should go over well in the mid and long term. It looks like the League is intent on losing the public relations battle anyway, with their idiotic Operation Buccaneer.

munroburton wrote:

cthia wrote:Again, wouldn't the raiding of League commerce compromise the fragile rice paper on which the Harrington Doctrine is written?

Not necessarily. I can't imagine the GA being forced into openly destructive commerce raiding - with all the military advantages they have, capturing the vast majority of shipping is far more likely.

That means the ships(and cargoes) shouldn't be destroyed and their crews won't be killed. Interstellar shipping will be severely disrupted, but could be completely back on track in a few years.

In the context of what's happened to various bits of the Solarian League Navy, that should go over well in the mid and long term. It looks like the League is intent on losing the public relations battle anyway, with their idiotic Operation Buccaneer.

I was considering the ramifications of exacerbating the effects of seizing and closing the junctions — as discussed in "The logistics of SLN commerce raiding" thread — with the seizing of shipments as well. A whole lotta somebodies are gonna be pissed, system wide.

The entire system is going to scream bloody murder, and not just during red dollar days. Which may rally the troops.

[
I was considering the ramifications of exacerbating the effects of seizing and closing the junctions — as discussed in "The logistics of SLN commerce raiding" thread — with the seizing of shipments as well.

The entire system is going to scream bloody murder, and not just during red dollar days. Which may rally the troops.[/quote]

If commerce raiding is done by the GA it should focus on materials that are really needed for a war effort. Perhaps some rare minerals needed for some elements of ships or missiles.

cthia wrote:I was considering the ramifications of exacerbating the effects of seizing and closing the junctions — as discussed in "The logistics of SLN commerce raiding" thread — with the seizing of shipments as well.

The entire system is going to scream bloody murder, and not just during red dollar days. Which may rally the troops.

ldwechsler wrote:If commerce raiding is done by the GA it should focus on materials that are really needed for a war effort. Perhaps some rare minerals needed for some elements of ships or missiles.

Although commendable, sweet, altruistic and totally Manty-like of 'em... totally unrealistic. You can't expect the express culmination of a plan well executed and yielding prizes to be dismissed because the booty is the wrong looty. Besides, the logistics of boarding and investigating the behemoths is not practical. And surely freighter manifests cannot be relied upon. Recall the lessons taught to us by Harkness? Manifests and the rest are to be held under extreme duress.

It highlights the same problem with the US sanctions against North Korea where we were originally allowing humanitarian items to pass through. But then, illegal items began to be smuggled through the loophole of that conduit. So we closed off that vector and began shipping the humanitarian items ourselves.